I take my orders from fools!

[air_upser]

good post. And it's definitly not limited to UPS. I worked construction one summer during college (union job through a relative), and one of the first things I was yelled at for was carrying 3 sets of blinds from the 1st floor up to the 10th floor....I was only suppose to carry one at a time. Keep in mind, these were mini blinds. If I were home, I'd be carrying at least 5 they're so light.

Same thing with the phone company the next summer. They give you a certain amount of time you are expected to complete a job. Regardless of how long it actually takes, you report the job taking that long. If we finished a job in an hour that the paperwork says should take two hours, we either take an hour break or move on to the next job, reporting the first job complete after the second one was done. By the end of the day, we'd have 3 hours to park somewhere and take a nap.

I have to believe that when people are hired, they do not instictively have this attitude. So where does it come from? From my perspective, it's the old timers that pass on the tradition of working the minimal requirements. To get more union employees hired, work slower. Would you do that if it were your own company? So why do it at all. Eventually, jobs move to a non-union workforce...even to another Country.

I am not anti-union. As I have said in previous posts, unions have their place. But, it's like they always need to fight for something, whether it's legitimate or not. When will they stand up for the hard-working individuals rather than the number of members they can collect union dues from? A union "brother" should be kicking the bad apples in the butt, not blindly sticking up for them. That's how you secure jobs and assure a strong company.

 

[over9five]

"...than the number of members they can collect union dues from?"

Well, I think you answered your own question. A company makes money based on how productive their employees are. A union makes money based on how many members it has.
Unfortunately for everyone, this is short-term thinking and will be our downfall.

 

[ok2bclever]

Yep, amazing we didn't go out of business decades ago what with all of the lazy, no good, bad attitude highly paid union workers we got when all our competitors were one hundred percent hard working go get 'em attitude non union white hat wearing good guys that obviously work at least twice as hard as us at half the wage.

There are bad apples in every workforce including non-union.

It's just in the non-union companies they are either related to the owner in some way and get favorable treatment over the harder working, long time employees or they kiss up or snitch good enough to be allowed to dog it by the owner.

Do some abuse the situation?

You bet!

But it's not just at non-union companies, some workers take advantage of the situation here and abuse their union rights as well.

There were bad apples in school and there will be bad apples in your retirement home.

Does the protection get out of hand to the detriment to a company's production such as the blind's issue, sure.

Is it about time the Teamsters backed off and let UPS raise the ridiculously slow and passive work pace drivers are currently allowed to work at?

I don't know, your call.

 

[proups]

big arrow up: I'm with you. I can't stand a bad UPSer that abuses the union to keep their job.

The union is a good thing, because it keeps a management person that had a bad day from firing an hourly employee for just about anything. The contract gives necessary guidance and protection.

But the deadbeats abuse it, and the union has to stick up for them or face a NLRB charge or lawsuit for non-representation.

I've seen BAs that have watched these slackers work and they just shake their heads - their hands are tied to a certain degree. They can talk to them about their performance, but they have to be careful.

I think I posted here before that peer pressure works wonders in any operation.

 

[ok2bclever]

proups, agreed, in right to work states the union even has to defend non-union slackers or be held accountable in court.

There is a difference between represent, defend and agree with.

 

[big_arrow_up]

<font color="000000">It makes me sick when I read the Teamsters newsletters and they are bragging about getting drunks, thieves, and others of that type their jobs back and with back pay. They think they are impressing everyone with those articles but in reality they are only impressing and incourageing the slackers. One of our guys came in a while back and was showing one of those articles to a newbie and was using that as an example of why he should join the union. Boy was he showing that to the wrong person because not only was he not impressed by it but he was also turned off by it enough to reconsider his thought of joining up. He didn't join. What is funny is that the article was about a feeder driver that had been fired (a couple of times) for being drunk behind the wheel and was reinstated with back pay. Why was it funny? Because this guy was busted for being drunk at work shortly after. He isn't back yet. The rest of us pay in every month and don't get in trouble but we can rest easy at night knowing that our hard earned dollars are helping defend these losers. How ironic.</font>

 

[ok2bclever]

I admit I just gloss most articles in the Teamster mag as they are mostly a lot of PR, but I don't remember ever seeing an article where the Teamsters brag about drunks and thieves their jobs back.

Now I don't mind if you don't like unions, but this is either an outright lie or quite the spin on your interp.

Mind stating the issue this article supposedly was in?

 

[big_arrow_up]

<font color="000000">I'd ask the guy to bring it back in to work BUT like I said....he was canned for being drunk as well. As far as a misinterp....your thinking that I don't like unions is one. I just have a problem with some of the things some of the members and some of the delegates do. As a whole....no complaints. Not only did I see the magazine but I have also seen people return to work after being "let go" for such reasons as well as others so even without the magazine I'd still believe it. The part that stood out about the article to me was when it said that the guy had a prior history of alcohol trouble at work. Regardless.......him and others like him are the bad apples that are being discussed here. There shouldn't be any arguement there. </font>

 

[tieguy]

ah OK so your point is what? that the union would bring them back but not brag about it?

 

[ok2bclever]

Get real tie, the union doesn't bring back drunks and thieves.

Only the company has the power to do that.

And if they are doing it it must be in a different part of the country.

I have never seen the company bring back a caught thief and only once in the last thirty years has the company in my area brought back an employee caught intoxicated on the job.

That was an unusual situation and of course an employee the company liked, because as I said only the company can bring back such employees the union doesn't have that kind of power and you know it.

There are employees that occasionally get their job back for lesser violations that shouldn't, but it's certainly nothing to brag about.

Now on the other hand the ones the company fires in spite or from personal little suit power trips, those I am happy for.

 

[proups]

OK2: I believe that the panel would make the decision to bring anyone back to UPS. Since panels are made up of equal representation of IBT and UPS Labor, then they would have to, by a majority vote, agree that a person that has been fired should get their job back.

Having said that, I agree that neither party at the panel would bring back drunks or thieves unless UPS didn't have it's documentation in order, and the union called them on it.

 

[JohnnyPension]

I'm sure I'll take some heat for this, but I'm intitled to my opinion. A union shop encourages mediocrity. Employees aren't rewarded for superior work: all promotions and raises are based on seniority. We have one part-timer who is making almost $24 an hour, and is the slowest, most unmotivated person I have ever seen. Accomplishes about a hour of work in a 5 hour night, wanders off to talk with friends all night, on the cell phone everytime you turn around, etc. They went through the motions of verbals and letters, the employee does the bare minimum until it blows over. New people on the sort take their cues from these types of things and we watch them lose their steam and their work ethic after just a few months of seeing how the "successful" employees do things.

I have some kids I'd give my eye teeth to have more of, but just as many who don't have to do anything but show up.

Your "reward" would be the 20 more stops they put on your truck for being such a good driver

 

[OldUPSDriver]

WOW, 4 years to get a reply!!!!!!

 

[Big Babooba]

One has to laugh. Evey coin has two sides. Somewhere out there, is a manager whose complaint is, "I give my orders to fools!"

 

[Catatonic]

But I take orders from myself!

 

[dilligaf]

One has to laugh. Evey coin has two sides. Somewhere out there, is a manager whose complaint is, "I give my orders to fools!"

Oh, I am sooooo sure there is at least one out there!

 

[cachsux]

Watch out when you start giving orders to yourself....and refuse to do them.

 

[iowa boy]

But I take orders from myself!

Hoax, you may think you take orders from yourself, but in reality, our wives whisper in our ears at night giving us orders and like the loving fools we are, we always do as we are told.

 

[anonymous6]

you want fries with your order?

 

[NHDRVR]

Can anyone tell me why it is that the chronically slow workers (in a hub) get to keep working, chronically slow?
And why the sups keep trying to get on me to work faster when I'm already working faster and I'm surrounded by the chronically slow workers that they never seem to notice?
And another thing!
What ever happened to accountability?
Not only am I surrounded by chronically slow workers, I, and many of my co-workers, keep finding ourselves pulling the weight of the same chronically absent people.
I have yet to see a write-up, or even a "talk-with" to correct the problem.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that I can take a day off without getting fired. However, these imbeciles who are working the hell out of the system are killing me.
It's time for some examples to be set, with some write-ups, suspensions, whatever it takes! I just know I'm not taking on the loser's flow anymore.
I'll still work hard, but when I see the "chronically-slow" person next to me back-up on purpose, I split to help someone out who needs it.
Move to where the flow is!
Do something!

You have thrown out quite a bit of stuff here.

1st, mngt. knows who they can push and get more out of. This little nugget of info. is learned your first month as an employee no matter what company you work for.
2nd, it is normal to look around and think you are doing more and working harder than the person next to you. Want proof? Talk to one of the laziest people in your center and ask if they are tired at the end of the week. He/she will drone on about how much work they do.
3rd, if you have worked for UPS or any other union shop for any amount of time you quickly see that the quicker you find your 'pace' the better. After that you should keep your head down, mind your own business (that one is important), and just do your job.
4th, if you are that preoccupied with what others are doing then just put your letter-of-intent in already and get it over with.